1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a trunk lid link assembly for closing and opening a trunk lid of a convertible vehicle.
2. Background Art
DE 199 46 454 A1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,300) describes a multi-joint link assembly movably connecting a trunk lid to the trunk of a vehicle. The trunk lid may be lowered to cover the trunk and may be raised in either of two opened positions to open the trunk. An operator manually raises the rear edge of the trunk lid to put the trunk lid in one of the opened positions. The operator may then load or unload the trunk. A motor acts on the link assembly causing the front edge of the trunk lid to raise to put the trunk lid in the other opened position. A foldable roof of the vehicle may then move into and out of the trunk. The trunk lid pivots about a pivot axis located at the rear side of the vehicle body to enable the front edge of the trunk lid to raise. Trunk lid raising into both opened positions is not performed completely automatically as the motor assists only with raising the front edge of the trunk lid. A passive spring may assist with the swivel motion associated with manually raising the rear edge of the trunk lid.
DE 103 40 017 B3 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0186694) describes a multi-joint link assembly movably connecting a trunk lid to the trunk of a convertible vehicle. The trunk lid may be lowered to cover the trunk and may be raised in either of two opened positions to open the trunk. The rear edge of the trunk lid is raised in one of the opened positions. The front edge of the trunk lid is raised in the other opened position.
Both trunk lid edge raising motions are performed by the link assembly in response to it being actuated by a drive element. This is achieved because the link assembly includes a locking link which can be adjusted between locked and unlocked positions. In the locked position, the locking link is held in place on the vehicle body but can swivel with respect to the vehicle body via a rotary joint fixed to the vehicle body. The locking link is moved to its locked position when the rear edge of the trunk lid is to be raised for an operator to load and unload the trunk. At the same time, a rear lock of the trunk lid is released so that the rear edge of the trunk lid can be raised. In the unlocked position, the locking link unlocks the rotary joint such that the linkage of the locking link via this articulated joint to the vehicle body is released. The locking link is moved to its unlocked position when the front edge of the trunk lid is to be raised for the roof to move into and out of the trunk. In the unlocked position of the locking link, the trunk lid can swivel up about a rear rotary joint fixed to the vehicle body, thereby raising the front edge of the trunk lid.
The rear rotary joint is situated between the trunk lid and the vehicle body. For this reason, the trunk lid and the vehicle body, in particular the rear bumper, have to be designed to enable the trunk lid to swivel about the rear rotary joint. In particular, the bumper requires a convex surface so that the trunk lid does not collide with the bumper or other vehicle components during its swivel motion. An independent link assembly may be used to lift the rear rotary joint from the vehicle body before the swivel process. However, in this case, an additional drive element is required. Another disadvantage is the trunk lid is a component of the link assembly and thereby has to be capable of bearing a load.